Shoot Down Firing Range Idea

Construction of a public firing range at Gracedale will contribute to America's long love affair with the gun, a craze that has entered a new and dangerous phase.

Residents oppose the range primarily because it is not needed and for aesthetic and environmental reasons. At least 12 rod and gun clubs in the area conduct gun-training sessions. If their facilities are deemed inadequate, they can be upgraded by the clubs with fees paid by the users.

It is not the civic responsibility of the park board to build a state of- the-art facility for them.

Americans now own 65 million pistols and revolvers - two handguns for every three households!

The suggestion is made that it is prudent to teach the shooting arts to the public for safety reasons and for sport. The National Rifle Association says, "guns don't kill people, people do," but the inducement for some individuals to seek exotic, powerful and more lethal arms on the wide-open U.S. market for criminal activities must be recognized.

While the majority of gun owners are law-abiding, respectable citizens, news reports tell of the frightening growth of criminal activities among fanatics of the far right. The instrument is the gun . . . easily available.

The government must take steps to protect the public from the widespread escalation of civilian firepower.

Given the politics of gun control, however, firing ranges will continue to be built and people will be taught to shoot . . . at your expense.